Many Saints players who have worn the Number 7 jumper during their career are champions. I have selected a Saints team who have worn the number 7 at any point of their career, and I provide my assessment of the top 3 players who have carried the number 7 for the Red, White and Black.
“The Jumper Number 7” Saints Team over the Decades.
Backs: Brian Walsh / Doug Cox / Les Carbarns
Half Backs: Robert Mace / Cyril Gambetta / Jimmy Read
Centres: Stewart Trott / Billy Schmidt / Jack Kelly
Half Forwards: Nicky Winmar / Ken Mackie / Bill Lowrie
Forwards: Wels Eicke / Kevin O’Donnell / Ken Mann
Rucks: Alan Squire / Lenny Hayes
Rover: Clarrie Vontom
Interchange: Gary McDonald / Des Cole / Clem T Fisher / Arthur Best
Other players to wear the number 7: Rod Hughes, Austin Cairns, David Granger, Ron Derrick.
Surprisingly only 25 players have worn the number 7 over the decades. Despite the low numbers the side is a very good side. The back line boasts two genuine stars Cyril Gambetta and Brian Walsh. Jimmy Read would be a very good player on the back flank. The Centreline is outstanding with Stuart Trott, Billy Schmidt and Jack Kelly likely to win a lot of clearances. Add Lenny Hayes to that and you have an outstanding on-ball unit. On top of that Clarrie Vontom and Wels Eicke were both outstanding on ballers in their era. This is the number 7 side’s great strength. The on- ballers are all class.
The forward line does not boast any big names apart from Nicky Winmar who would undoubtedly be brought into the game by the on-ball unit. It is quite possible that he would be unbeatable with such support. The key position players O’Donnell and Mackie would be competitive and with the ball entering the forward line often, should kick goals.
This number 7 team of the decades is a very good side despite lacking a little depth. In today’s style of football it would be let down by this lack of depth and the relative inexperience of many of the team. For the number 7 team of the decades to be successful the ten genuine stars in this team would all have to play at their very best.
The best three Saints players to have worn the Number 7 jumper.
1) Nicky Winmar 230 games 1987-98
This extracts below are from the Saints Encyclopedia of AFL footballers is a wonderful summary of the careers of my top three selections.
“The brilliant former South Fremantle player at various times exhilarated, dismayed and bewildered the football public. When the Eagles were putting a side together they were interested in 35 players and had to cut back to 30. Winmar was one of the five that missed out.
He was then regarded as inconsistent and unreliable, but at St Kilda the Aboriginal player was a changed man, running second in the best and fairest in his first two years then winning the award in 1989. He won it again in 1995. His silky skills covered the full range of football.
A breathtaking mark, glorious kick and magical in his ball handling Winmar's tackling was also superb. While most Western Australians struggled in the wet Winmar played some of his finest games in slushy conditions - a skill gained from the days when he and his brother turned on the hoses and pretended it was a muddy ground in Melbourne. He played as a half-forward and winger for St Kilda and for half a season stood in for Lockett as full-forward.
In 1990 he turned to religion in a much publicised move and seemed to wrestle with the change in lifestyle. Out of character he was suspended for 10 weeks on a kicking and eye gouging charge. St Kilda was on the verge of swapping him, but to his credit Winmar fought back to regain his form and once again became one of the best players in the competition in 1992.
At the start of 1993 he was in scintillating form and led in most media awards. He was then involved in a huge controversy when St Kilda beat Collingwood and he showed his skin colour to the Victoria Park crowd that had been shouting racist taunts all day. Some players on the ground thought initially that he was signifying that the team had guts, but Winmar said later: "I said I was black and I was proud." A week later he had a financial dispute with St Kilda and was in exile for a month.
Eventually he came back, but by then St Kilda's campaign was in tatters. In 1997 he became the first Aboriginal player to reach the 200 game mark, but along the way was dropped twice for disciplinary reasons. In 1997 he was used more in a forward pocket role as the signs of age meant he found it harder to cover lots of ground on a wing or a flank.
He had a topsy-turvy 1998 campaign which plumbed the depths when he put on a bizarre display and totally lost his cool against Carlton and more particularly his tagger Anthony Franchina. Yet he was an effective player in the finals and if he had not been scragged at the last minute his late shot at goal would have pinched the final against Sydney. St Kilda finally parted company with him and he was picked up by the Bulldogs.
He gave them a handy year. He was recruited to help the club bridge the finals gap, but unfortunately he was injured in the first final and missed the second week of the finals. He was an All-Australian in 1991 and 1995”.
2) Lenny Hayes. 1999-
"Born in Sydney, Hayes' interest in Aussie Rules was stirred by his father Chris, a Victorian who had played good football at school level. The family lineage extended back to great grandfather Vin Maguire who had 43 games with Geelong from 1915 to 1918. He played for Pennant Hills in Sydney and then the NSW-ACT Rams where he captained a side in 1998 that included several future League players. Surprisingly there was a doubt among League recruiters on his leg speed. St Kilda thought he would have been drafted by Sydney because of his NSW background, and a year later Sydney enquired about a possible trade after the club had copped flak for not recruiting a local. Hayes was given a torrid initiation in his AFL debut when he was trapped in the on-coming path of Kangaroo iron man Glenn Archer. The evasive skills he had honed playing touch footy deserted him on that occasion, but he displayed plenty of flair in subsequent games. In 2001 he was just starting to show out as a midfielder when he badly injured his shoulder and had to miss the last half of the season. He began 2002 in brilliant fashion, but being slung into a fence in Brisbane probably cost him the best and fairest award. He finished second, but he came of age in 2002 when injuries hit the rest of the midfielders. Creative and elusive, his consistency improved and he won a bigger share of the ball than in the past. He continued to perform at a high level in 2003 operating in tandem with Robert Harvey in midfield and won the Saints' best and fairest award as well as earning All-Australian selection. He was once again a magnificent player in 2004 with his great ball-winning and tackling the features of his game in his year as captain under the rotation scheme. Hayes had a brilliant 2005 and narrowly missed out on the best and fairest, finishing two votes behind the co-winners. He was clearly St Kilda's best player in 2006 until he injured a knee nine weeks into the season and required a knee reconstruction. Hayes had a serviceable season upon his return in 2007 and took a while to find his touch, but before long he was back to his best as a tireless midfielder. By the last couple of months he had regained his best form and finished fifth in the best and fairest. In 2007 he was co-captain with Nick Riewoldt and Luke Ball."
Since this summary was written Lenny has continued to stand out as a leader, extraordinary player and favourite of all the fans. His career shows no sign of waving and I am sure he will be a more than adequate stand in skipper in Nick Riewoldt’s absence.
3) Cyril (Jazz Legs) Gambetta 129 games 1922-31
Cyril’s story is one of my favourite all time stories about great Saints of the past who overcame great difficulties to be outstanding players.
“As a youngster Cyril suffered from polio which probably accounted for an awkward running style that earned him the nickname "Jazz Legs". St Kilda had trouble getting a clearance for him from Sandhurst because he had trafficked between clubs, and just to show that legal wrangles are not a recent phenomenon, one critic wrote: "There is talk of appealing to the law courts." He had already played for VFA side Hawthorn before joining the Saints and was a forward at first, but became one of St Kilda's greatest ever centre half backs. His strength was his marking at which he showed flawless judgement and he twice earned state Guernseys.”
In recent years when I was involved in discussion centred on the naming of the Italian AFL team of the century I was most disappointed when Cyril missed out on being named in the final 22. He was named in the top 50 which was a great achievement but I still felt he was a bit stiff to miss out. In my opinion it must have been hard for the selectors to ignore his record as one of the great Centre half backs of the era as well as the achievement of representing the State on two occasions.
I believe Cyril is one of the best three players to have worn the number 7. I have named him at Centre half back in this number 7 team of the decades.
Assessment
What a difficult task to choose between Lenny Hayes and Nicky Winmar as the best Saint to wear the number 7. Winmar was mercurial, brilliant in the extreme and capable of winning a match by imposing himself upon it. He has been selected in the Saints Hall of Fame, an honor I have no doubt will also be bestowed on Lenny Hayes sometime following the end of his career. Winmar has been Saints Best and Fairest on two occasions. Hayes has won the Best and Fairest on one occasion and close to winning on two other occasions. He was clearly the Saints best player after 9 games in 2006 only to have his knee shattered. Lenny continues to perform at the highest level and if not for injury would have gone close to winning the Best and Fairest in 2008. He is an exemplary leader and continues to show outstanding leadership to the players around him. I have moved from one to the other in trying to choose the best player to don the number 7 but at this stage I will go with Nicky Winmar, but in a year or so may have a totally different view as Lenny Hayes continues to grow as a leader and great player.
My third choice is the legend of his era Cyril Gambetta. Cyril overcame terrible adversity to be one of the Saints greatest Centre half backs. In his era he was twice selected for the Big V. I believe he rates marginally ahead of Stuart Trott and Brian Walsh who were both excellent players.
References
"The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers", Russell Holmesby and Jim Main, Crown Content
"Every Game Ever Played" compiled by Stephen Rodgers, Viking O’Neill
Saints.com.au
"Western Saints" West of Moorabbin website
If you would like to contact Allan please send him an email to takeitforgranted@hotmail.com
